Hendricks sees Condit-Woodley winner up next, says Nick Diaz doesn't yet deserve title shot

Johny Hendricks will soon get a chance to win the UFC welterweight belt that eluded him this past November when he lost a controversial split decision to now-former champ Georges St-Pierre.

If he’s successful, he already has an idea of who’s next as No. 1 contender – and who isn’t.

Hendricks (15-2 MMA, 10-2 UFC), who headlines next Saturday’s UFC 171 against Robbie Lawler (22-9 MMA, 7-3 UFC) in a bout for the title left vacant by St-Pierre, believes the winner of a fight between Carlos Condit and Tyron Woodley will get a title shot. The welterweight fight also serves on the March 15 pay-per-view card at Dallas’ American Airlines Center.

“If I win this fight, it’s going to be between one of them two,” he today told MMAjunkie.

Hendricks already has history with both fighters. The two fought one year ago at UFC 158 as he sought the No. 1 contender spot to then-champ St-Pierre’s title. In a hotly contested fight, he outpointed the onetime title challenger and former WEC champ and secured a shot at the belt.

In 2005, Hendricks handed Woodley a defeat not in the cage, but on the wrestling mats. While wrestling for Oklahoma State University, he bested the University of Missouri standout in the finals of the NCAA’s Big 12 championships by a score of 4-1.

“Carlos is always a tough opponent; same thing with Woodley,” Hendricks said. “Those two, they’re fighting the same night. But a fight’s a fight. You never know what’s going to happen. You just have to say whoever wants to come after you, let them come at you, and you move forward from that.”

Hendricks also praised welterweights Rory MacDonald and Dong Hyun Kim, who both have been mentioned as possible contenders after recent wins, but said Condit and Woodley are closest to a title shot on the welterweight ladder.

Not as close, he said, is onetime title challenger Nick Diaz, who made headlines this past month by saying he would come out of retirement for a shot at the belt.

Diaz said despite his absence, he remains the UFC’s only draw and deserves a title shot if the promotion can make it worth his while.

Asked whether he would fight Diaz in his first defense of the welterweight belt, Hendricks initially joked, “What do they say, no comment?”

Then, he added: “Realistically, I think he needs to fight a couple of times. What is he, 0-2 in his last few fights? It is what it is, but if the UFC said, ‘Hey Johny, you’ve got to fight him,’ well guess what? I’m not going to say no.”

Hendricks agreed that a fight with Diaz would generate interest, though from a sporting perspective, the brash fighter lacks the credentials to drop straight into another huge opportunity after falling short to St-Pierre in his most recent fight and to Condit in his previous bout.

Diaz is reportedly set to serve as an assistant coach on “The Ultimate Fighter 20,” which starts filming in May.

“His stock is always high,” Hendricks said of the retired fighter. “He’s a great fighter, but if he beats up one or two people, then yeah. He’s earned it.”

Firstly, though, Hendricks needs to earn the UFC belt. Before that, he lacks the credentials to decide who’s next.

For the latest on UFC 171, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.